Modifying Jig Molds

[Wallda]

I want to be able to cast 1/16 and 1/8 ounce lead jog with larger hooks for live bait. Has anyone modified their molds to work with hooks up to 3/0?

[Bill Krejca]

Pretty simple, actually. There are three procedures, normally, to accomplish.

1. It is possible that the groove for the hook is sufficient to accommodate the larger wire dia of the hook, and thus, close. If the groove is too small, a small three-cornered file works great for slightly increasing the space - just file a bit to enlarge the space, and test, keep it up until the hook fits in the groove. the groove does not have to be rounded, the slight deviation is fine.

2. Depending on the size and type of hook, it is possible that the hook point, also, is in a space which will not allow the mold to close. To fix the interference problem, use a flat file and carefully eliminate the material in question. Sometimes it only takes a bit of removal to allow the interference to disappear. Shorter shank hooks can be a particular problem. Again, easily fixed.

3. The eye of the larger hook usually requires an enlargement of the depression in the mold for the hook eye, again, to allow the mold to close completely. I have found that the simplest and most controllable way to enlarge the hole is by using a drill press. Use a somewhat larger drill bit to drill out the eye area. Usually it doesn't take much material removal to make the eye fit. Again, slow and try, repeat as necessary. This area is somewhat easy to screw up, hence the use of the drill press. Trust me on this.

A Dremel type tool can be used for the above applications, however, I have found the better control can be achieved by the described above. Obviously, having a mill would be ideal, but most folks do not have one. In some cases, it may be necessary to remove material from both mating parts of the mold, although i have found that usually, it only requires the slight modification on one part. On a mold having a fairly small head size, removing material from both mold sides is maybe preferable, as the hook may end up looking slightly skewed;on larger heads, the difference may not be noticeable.

Have fun!!

Bill